In conventional image recording apparatuses such as an electrophotocopying machine and an electrostatic image recording apparatus in which an electrostatic image is used, the electrostatic image is formed on an electrostatic image carrier, toner is stuck to the electrostatic image by an image developing unit to develop it, and the toner image obtained is transferred to and fixed on recording paper for the desired record. The electrostatic image carrier which finished the image transference has the remaining charge erased by a discharge electrode and has the remaining toner removed by a cleaning arrangement.
In the image developing unit mentioned above, a toner supply container can supply necessary amount of the toner from a toner supply section to a developer stirring section. If the toner in the toner supply section is decreased with the toner supply from the toner supply section repeated, a toner supply alarm lamp, for example, is lit. The toner supply container then should be replaced to supply the toner.
On the other hand, the toner removed by the cleaning arrangement is collected into a toner collection container provided around the cleaning arrangement.
Most of the conventional toner supply containers are independent of the toner collection containers. Such a construction is involved in a problem of replacement time of the toner collection container in which the toner remained on and removed from the surface of the electrostatic image carrier is collected. The toner collection containers ordinarily have no means that can detect and indicate amount of the collected toner. It has to be removed out to check the toner collection state.
Around 70% of the supplied toner is consumed, and the remaining of around 30% is removed by the cleaning arrangement and is collected in the toner collection container. If the toner collection container is failed to be replaced, the collected toner flows over out of the toner collection container, contaminating the surroundings. In order to solve such a problems, the Japanese Patent Laid Open 58-173783 and the Japanese Utility Model Open 61-37008, for example, disclosed features that no special containers are provided for the toner, the toner supply container is attached to the cleaning arrangement after supply so as to serve both for supplying and collecting the toner.
A structure in which the toner supply container and the toner collection container are integrated together was disclosed in, for example, the Japanese Patent Laid Open 59-184373. In the structure, a single toner container has a partition member provided therein for new toner containing section and collected toner containing section.
However, the structure mentioned above is not practical. The reason is that it has a disadvantage of positions of a toner supply opening and a waste toner collection opening embodied in the disclosure as some means are needed to discharge the toner from the toner container and to carrying the toner out of and/or in the toner container. It also is involved in a sealing problem between the partition member and the container body. It further is disadvantageous that the integration of the toner supply container and the toner collection container makes the whole toner container, resulting in increase of a volume occupied by it in the image recording apparatus. Further more large size of the container and uneven toner distribution makes the replacement of the container more difficult.
In view of the foregoing, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a developer container of small size and simple structure by which a toner collection container can be replaced securely whenever the toner supply container is replaced.